It is highly subjective, but M-30 with MT44 is definitively a winner to my ears. It gives a lot of character to the sound. Thank you very much for sharing Travis. Cheers from Canada
The cassette recorders are both so pleasingly crunchy, whereas the 1/4" tape on the 388 sounds very pillowy, like 70's Philadelphia basement funk. The 424 with EQ punched me straight in the nostalgia guts. It sounds SO GOOD.
I've had a Tascam 688, Yamaha MT8x and Tascam 388. The 388 is amazing. So much fun to work with and capable of serious recordings. The MT8x is very good as is the 688, but just not up to the 388 level. The 388 will stay with me for good. Nice video!
Very nice! You've had them all. You're an expert. I heard the mt8x is great. I've always wanted to mess with one! I'm still trying to figure it out all out :)
424 is very high fidelity but thing about the 388 is the way it glues and controls the transients, (listen to the kick get tucked in nicely even when 388 is flat!) its not just about EQ colouring, thats the real magic of reel to reel in my opinion, is how it manages transients is a mystifying way that still struggles to be emulated by plugins. I would love a 388 but here in the UK they are super rare! one day here's hoping though. PS love your channel!!!
I totally agree! I made a full song with the 388 and I was just so surprised about how the drums interacted with everything else. It's like a big old sponge. I guess that's why they used less compression back in the day. Well hopefully there some other cool and more modestly priced options over in UK. Thanks so much for saying that and thanks for chatting with me about gear!
I've been going through a lot of your videos this morning, I was in the YT rabbit hole and your channel came up, glad it did too... I learned to record on Tascam PortaStudio's, the first gen 424 then I upgraded to the 488mkII eight track. Great stuff man...
I'm starting to regret selling my 388, but I did really well on the sale (considering what I originally paid for it back when) and the fact that whoever has it now is probably getting a lot more use out of it than I was so that helps some. I unfortunately sold it and then discovered Mac Demarco's music... sigh...
The 388 is just awesome, the M30 seems to be pretty cool too but I was actually surprised by the 424 - didn't expect that! All in all: I would go with the 388.
When I first heard the 424 I was really impressed as well. At first listen it sounded the best. Am i the only one hearing how much more low end the 388 captures though? I might be biased ☺️
man that MT44 sounded great! So open but still with some smack to it. Good stuff. That 388 snare sound though, it's almost like no matter what snare you record into it it's gonna have that amazing 'splat'. Love it.
The 'none of it matters' really hit me in the sore spot though lol. He's right and it hurts. That said, the computer mix sounded the worst. Suck eggs, computers!
@@travisraab yeah, sounds wild! Also with the A-B to the mixer to computer, it's definitely not the mixer that's doing it. Did you ever demag the 388? I did mine after having it for 4 years and didn't hear a difference at all. Cleaning the heads though, I went lax on that for a month and started having what I thought were channel issues and losing top end, but it was just my head got a bit grubby.
Thanks EJ! 😁 Yeah I think the mt44 really punches above it's weight. Especially since it was free. It has less machine noise and it's just clearer somehow.
wow I've got a 424 mkii (or did have 20+ years ago) - hopefully it's in the loft lol $$$ - use Cubase 10 now but I love your vids and the warm tape sounds you get. Your recordings at the end of the vids (latest ones I've seen so far) are awesome. So clean, well played and great mixes. Started putting Waves Vinyl on my MB now after watching your vids, plus Ozone tape on my somewhat questionable masters lol
M30 sounds thin. 424 & 388 sound the same to my ears, which is astounding. The meat & pop on your 44 is pretty hefty! I have run through my 424mk I straight to DAT and it sounded HUGE. I've made so many amazing records around basic tracks we took on Tascam 424mk I, 424mk II and my 644 Midistudio - though I think my 424 always sounds the best. Note! Be super careful because the power jacks are really really weak. The break very easily. It will be fine like that on your floor. This video was heartwarming! I love my decks, and people made fun of them, and it's great to see porta studios getting some love!
That's rad glenesis! That's a nice collection you have there. The 644 looks like quite a beast. You need to know what you're doing to operate one of those! So the 424 sounds the best - interesting. duly noted.
@@travisraab I'm kinda a tape machine addict myself and love the tinkering and slightly questionable repair techniques in some of your vids. The process of finding some audio equipment for cheap, testing it out and fixing it up, and then demonstrating how it can be used is what I most enjoy watching :)) Also the editing style is very entertaining.
Still got and use my tascam 424porta studio . Fantastic for samples and natural tape satch. And yes I've had it since New. I'm 42just built my studio and it's a beast tho I still use and have the tascam porta and luv it
I finally got the 388 I bought in february! (long trip by boat). It weight like a metric ton! (wondering how I will get it from up from the basement to the attic). I already have a Tascam 246 and it would be interesting to compare them two.
This may be too low level but if you could do a video explaining the wiring between the tascam an interface and how to send stereo files to and from it in detail that would be awesome! I have only an apollo and have been using kind of as an outboard plug in to get tape saturation and feel but I end up sending out samples to the machine and getting back in mono and then re-spreading them in logic.
every channel on your DAW is a mono channel and every channel on the tascam is mono also. So when you send stuff just keep that in mind. it depends exactly what you are sending and what the panning is on your tascam.
Even though the M30 is just a supporting character in this video, I still see the dominant "kick" part from the M30 directly into the "daw" or the Yamaha tape!
I have the same issue. I keep buying cheap gear to fix up and then move on to the next deal. Just bought a "broken" Portastudio 424 (needs a capstan belt most likely) and a Casio SK-1. I Still sorta have to fix 2 tape-machines that are working and now just being decoration. GAS is a serious problem.
yeah that one was my favorite by far! it was interesting to hear how different the straight to digital drums sound vs the tape drums. tape really changes the sound of drums more than it does guitars
@@travisraab Doing research on repairs for reel to reels, I’ve got an old machine that I want to get up and running and a few of your vids came up. However, I stayed for the great musicianship and insights.
I like the Yamaha MT 44 . I have a Yamaha MT 120 and a Tascam 424 , 414 , Porta 02 and Foxtex X12 . 388 are hard to come by nowadays . If you do find one it's in need of repair and it's usually a repair that will cost a lot to fix . I do have 2 Teac reel to reel 4 tracks . 3340 S and 3440 . I just have to get off my lazy ass and record :(
388 sounded awesome overall. But they all sounded good in their own right. But 388 as a hip hop old school head has that vibe I like on the kick and snare. Warm chunky and punchy.
Try recording the kick from the other side. Simply put the mic next to the beater at the edge of the bass drum. Gave me good dry results every time. Together with a kick out mic it should sound punchy yet soft. That way you negate the resonance of the bass drum itself.
In the last year I 've been dabbling with recording guitar and bass using logic with the logic drummer. And at first it was very frustrating trying to make it sound "good " or what I heard in my head, and after months of watching TH-cam videos on recording tricks and tips and still no luck . The other day I opened up some recording from a year ago and was blown away at how good it sounded !! I didn't even remember recording it . I guess what I'm trying to say is I've learned to not get all caught up in the moment with adjusting little things, just plug in an play . Now I record with out a care and it's so much more fun and I can work more on bettering my performance of the instrument. Garbage in... Garbage out!
I hear you. I think that's awesome Gordon! You've learned to get over the obsessive sonic analysis and make music. So maybe there's hope for me haha😂 #garbageingarbageout✌️✌️🙌
I was in a punk band in the 90s we did all our 7" releases on a Tascam Mark II. I currently have a Mark II and III for recording and am having issues with the Mark III do you do repairs? The 3rd channel switch is have problems and the RCA jack in back?
Great video...third one of yours I've watched now. I'm going through a similar, albeit digital, journey of home recording so it's great to see what you are doing. How many mics were you using for these takes? I see two 57s and an LDC placed behind the hats...I assume you are micing the bass drum since you made a comment about forgoing the reso head?
Hi Mountain man thanks for watching. For this video I believe i used a three mic setup. Kick snare and floor tom. Yep that's an mxl and no it wasn't turned on. But I used that mic on another video. I think it was on my second to last video if you want to hear it.
@@travisraab I'll take a listen to your second-to-last video...I used to have an MXL 990 years ago so was happy to see it! I like the way your hats sit lower in the levels...I'm assuming that's probably because they are being picked up off-axis from your snare 57? I'm gonna try that... What mic are you using on your kick drum? Thanks!
@@hanktothehendrix yeah let me know what you think. No I think I just prefer the hi hat lower it would cut through anyhow cause its damn close to the 57 over there. I think im using the shure beta 52a on the kic!
The difference is in the cymbals. It's okay if you're playing funky or mellow beats on a cassette machine, but once drums get heavy/trashy cassettes are just too harsh. I started used a Tascam 34B after more than a decade of recording drums on cassette four tracks and nearly wept when I heard how much better heavy drums instantly sounded.
@@travisraab ...ohh...i am just always interested in the photo gear used also nowadays. Does it have a Microphone Input? Everything sounds Good... And the Camera also can Make a difference. Ive been told that is is kind of hard to find an older camera with Microphone inputs...so I just wondered if Yours did and What kind it was. You sure get some Dam good deals. I paid 450 Dollars for my Tascam 424 Mk.III. So you sure beat me on that...all except mine is a Mk.III. Love seeing your stuff.
@@cliffordpearsonjr.9748 sounds like you got yourself i nice machine there congratulations. Yes the gh3 has mic input but preamps only sound good on certain microphones sadly. And the autofocus sucks
How do you get tapes for the 388? Do you even need to change the tapes to run pre-recorded tracks through it or does it have a playback head? I the 424 Pitch control center detent? So many questions....
Can you line the waveforms up a non-taped and taped track and do parallel saturation without hitting major phase issues? I.E. 60/40 tape/DAW type deal?
Unless there's some plugin that like bends the waveforms, there would be phase. I think you could achieve that with a plugin. Personally I've never enjoyed blending wet and dry signals unless it was reverb or delay
@@buddhiaudioparadise6925 you are asking if the tape of the 246 sounds the same as the tape on the 388? The 388 has way more low end and with eq you can bring out even more. It prob also has more high end and lower noise. Both are noisy though
@@travisraab No.I mean EQued line out. I would like to listen them both with tape and without(using line outs without master buss).I love your kick sounded on 388 on tape.Can I achieve the kind of same sounds using 246?? thank you lot for the amazing content!
@@buddhiaudioparadise6925 yes you can achieve that sound on the 246. Make sure the kick isn't clipping on record or playback and then add some super low end.
388 is just a big portastudio Jim! Yeah it does sound real nice and just has a nice tangible workflow. Also, I can't deal with 4 tracks, I need a minimum of 5!
You should bypass the preamps by using a quality stand alone preamp. The way to do this is switch to line input. Or you can experiment by using 50% of the cassetts pre's.
How the f do you have time for all this great content? I mean A LOT of effort and time must go into just editing and producing an awesome video. Not to mention all the driving around obscure towns to acquire analog goodies from craigslist.I love the fact that you say you have come full circle regarding guitar tone, like you say in the end. It's whatever. There is no tone :D
@@travisraab The problem is now for me - as I maybe sense from you, correct me if I'm wrong - Now the hunt goes for the best and beefiest sound on analog useless junk... Somehow we're never quite satisfied.
Only have phone speaker(shitty android). They both sounded like reel to reel.the 388 sounded safer. 424s tastier. Unless the 424 low end is terrible I think competes. Also I'm going thru shitty kick drum syndrome too. The flop sound comes thru the phone. I need a Kik made from your vintage barn wall. Hoping resonant head will help mine
@@travisraab unfortunately we have a deficit of wild turkey in the Scottish Highlands, so I can't help... sadness many. I could try to mic up an osprey if you like? 🦃⛔🎤🦅❔
well yeah if your desired end result is drums that sound like cardboard boxes, the signal chain doesn't play much of a role as it turns out. if you want to hear how those various input sources actually sound, consider not choking the shit out of every head. put some single ply heads on, tune them properly, and then maybe you'll hear how the different front ends sound. as it stands , i'm fairly certain any 1980s Radio Shack cassette player can make a snare drum go "thmmp" and die immediately
Love the end of this. "None of it matters". I'm in my 50's. I have a pre-cbs strat (wanna' buy it? Hit me up!) Got a Mexican Tele for 700 bucks. I kinda' love it more. Got a Matchless amp. Tried to mic the strat to it with a 58 into Logic. Sounded like crap. Switched to the mex/tele into garageband a plugin called Klevgrand Stark. (A bit digital sound-y but not as harsh as the garagband amps which sound like buzz saws). But back to back? The $10,000 strat through the $2500 amp didn't sound as good as the $700 mex/tele though a $29 indie plugin. Go figure! (Maybe I'm just a bad engineer. Ha!)
388 with eq sounds dope. Very full sound and punchy snare. 424 was thinner. Not that much punch. Tascam m30 + mt44 sounded good as a "fat lo-fi", but kick was too farty as for me. But any of those 3 setups sounded better and fatter than straight to daw signal. Nice mids and softer transient. I want to hear a "scientific" comparison!
I think I pushed the kick too far on the M30 that was my fault..in a mix it doesn't sound bad though. I agree any of the tape machines definitely saturate and fatten the drums!
@@travisraab Thank you! I've already seen it yesterday. But I didn't have my headphones and couldn't hear everything clearly. So I will watch again and leave a comment later)
Thanks for the tip! I wonder if it can be used for all of these machines? I'm not totally positive that the 388 needs de magnitizing but I guess it couldn't hurt.
@@travisraab It can be used for the other machines, just make sure they are off and don't have your tapes nearby or they will get erased. I noticed a difference in my 388 for sure after doing it. Most of the other demag devices are these small things that you mostly have to find used and don't work that well. I've never seen the demag tapes but those look interesting.
Interesting video 👍 I started back in 95 with the exact version of 424 you purchased here. Recorded 'em single-channel mono... fattest sound I ever got from a deck. For anyone intested, here's an example th-cam.com/video/oWHWVGqj5OU/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
I built a studio desk (from salvaged barn wood!)🪚🪓 -> th-cam.com/video/8XYNE0EZUNU/w-d-xo.html
It is highly subjective, but M-30 with MT44 is definitively a winner to my ears. It gives a lot of character to the sound. Thank you very much for sharing Travis. Cheers from Canada
The cassette recorders are both so pleasingly crunchy, whereas the 1/4" tape on the 388 sounds very pillowy, like 70's Philadelphia basement funk. The 424 with EQ punched me straight in the nostalgia guts. It sounds SO GOOD.
Pillowy is a good way to explain it. Yeah the 424 sounds really nice especially for the money
I've had a Tascam 688, Yamaha MT8x and Tascam 388. The 388 is amazing. So much fun to work with and capable of serious recordings. The MT8x is very good as is the 688, but just not up to the 388 level. The 388 will stay with me for good. Nice video!
Very nice! You've had them all. You're an expert. I heard the mt8x is great. I've always wanted to mess with one! I'm still trying to figure it out all out :)
424 is very high fidelity but thing about the 388 is the way it glues and controls the transients, (listen to the kick get tucked in nicely even when 388 is flat!) its not just about EQ colouring, thats the real magic of reel to reel in my opinion, is how it manages transients is a mystifying way that still struggles to be emulated by plugins. I would love a 388 but here in the UK they are super rare! one day here's hoping though. PS love your channel!!!
I totally agree! I made a full song with the 388 and I was just so surprised about how the drums interacted with everything else. It's like a big old sponge. I guess that's why they used less compression back in the day. Well hopefully there some other cool and more modestly priced options over in UK. Thanks so much for saying that and thanks for chatting with me about gear!
I've been going through a lot of your videos this morning, I was in the YT rabbit hole and your channel came up, glad it did too...
I learned to record on Tascam PortaStudio's, the first gen 424 then I upgraded to the 488mkII eight track. Great stuff man...
that's very cool to hear! thanks for saying so. I'd like to get me a 488 one day. 4 tracks aint enough for me
I'm starting to regret selling my 388, but I did really well on the sale (considering what I originally paid for it back when) and the fact that whoever has it now is probably getting a lot more use out of it than I was so that helps some. I unfortunately sold it and then discovered Mac Demarco's music... sigh...
But now you can buy a yacht! ⛵
The 388 is just awesome, the M30 seems to be pretty cool too but I was actually surprised by the 424 - didn't expect that! All in all: I would go with the 388.
When I first heard the 424 I was really impressed as well. At first listen it sounded the best. Am i the only one hearing how much more low end the 388 captures though? I might be biased ☺️
man that MT44 sounded great! So open but still with some smack to it. Good stuff. That 388 snare sound though, it's almost like no matter what snare you record into it it's gonna have that amazing 'splat'. Love it.
The 'none of it matters' really hit me in the sore spot though lol. He's right and it hurts. That said, the computer mix sounded the worst. Suck eggs, computers!
@@SPOD_ZONE The more you pay for your tone the better it will sound FACTZ
yeah the mt44 yamaha is the best sounding four track i've ever used. idk why. 388 has 8 channels and is way more soggy two different beasts
@@travisraab haha. we all know it's a scientific fact that the harder it is to record and maintain a machine the better the song is
@@travisraab yeah, sounds wild! Also with the A-B to the mixer to computer, it's definitely not the mixer that's doing it. Did you ever demag the 388? I did mine after having it for 4 years and didn't hear a difference at all. Cleaning the heads though, I went lax on that for a month and started having what I thought were channel issues and losing top end, but it was just my head got a bit grubby.
great shootout probably the best shoot out vid on youtube for tascam. love that 388. keep up the vids there sick man!
gery that's nice of you to say thanks man!
388 higher beef content 😆👍🏼
MT44 sounds amazing! Great editing dude!
Thanks EJ! 😁 Yeah I think the mt44 really punches above it's weight. Especially since it was free. It has less machine noise and it's just clearer somehow.
wow I've got a 424 mkii (or did have 20+ years ago) - hopefully it's in the loft lol $$$ - use Cubase 10 now but I love your vids and the warm tape sounds you get. Your recordings at the end of the vids (latest ones I've seen so far) are awesome. So clean, well played and great mixes. Started putting Waves Vinyl on my MB now after watching your vids, plus Ozone tape on my somewhat questionable masters lol
thanks !
M30 sounds thin. 424 & 388 sound the same to my ears, which is astounding. The meat & pop on your 44 is pretty hefty! I have run through my 424mk I straight to DAT and it sounded HUGE. I've made so many amazing records around basic tracks we took on Tascam 424mk I, 424mk II and my 644 Midistudio - though I think my 424 always sounds the best. Note! Be super careful because the power jacks are really really weak. The break very easily. It will be fine like that on your floor. This video was heartwarming! I love my decks, and people made fun of them, and it's great to see porta studios getting some love!
That's rad glenesis! That's a nice collection you have there. The 644 looks like quite a beast. You need to know what you're doing to operate one of those! So the 424 sounds the best - interesting. duly noted.
M30 thin? youre cooked bud
I am happy I found this channel I am very much enjoying this content. Keep making stuff I will watch it all !
Thanks Evan! Just curious, which type of content are you most enjoying? (market research 😂)
@@travisraab I'm kinda a tape machine addict myself and love the tinkering and slightly questionable repair techniques in some of your vids. The process of finding some audio equipment for cheap, testing it out and fixing it up, and then demonstrating how it can be used is what I most enjoy watching :)) Also the editing style is very entertaining.
Ok perfect thats all i can do anyway 😂
tape sounds so much better! love this shootout, thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Still got and use my tascam 424porta studio .
Fantastic for samples and natural tape satch. And yes I've had it since New. I'm 42just built my studio and it's a beast tho I still use and have the tascam porta and luv it
love that satch!
right on man! Sounds great! I use the tascam m35, awesome to see and hear, love the videos. keep em up
Thanks! The m35 is a cool piece of gear. I'm glad you're enjoying the videos thanks so much for watching. Will do!
I finally got the 388 I bought in february! (long trip by boat). It weight like a metric ton! (wondering how I will get it from up from the basement to the attic). I already have a Tascam 246 and it would be interesting to compare them two.
By boat??? That is epic. Who are u. I never tried a 246 i would love to
This may be too low level but if you could do a video explaining the wiring between the tascam an interface and how to send stereo files to and from it in detail that would be awesome! I have only an apollo and have been using kind of as an outboard plug in to get tape saturation and feel but I end up sending out samples to the machine and getting back in mono and then re-spreading them in logic.
every channel on your DAW is a mono channel and every channel on the tascam is mono also. So when you send stuff just keep that in mind. it depends exactly what you are sending and what the panning is on your tascam.
Your page is dope family. Respect
Keep pushing them videos
thanks so much!
Even though the M30 is just a supporting character in this video, I still see the dominant "kick" part from the M30 directly into the "daw" or the Yamaha tape!
I hear you!
Btw: I like your videos and your style! Keep it coming!
Thanks I didn't know I even had a style 😂
@@travisraab 👍😃
Exactly what I was thinking about!
So, my list from the best: 388, m30/mt44, 424 and last distant straight Clarett.
i hear ya ! this 246 i got might sound better than all these guys
@@travisraab I'm looking forward to hear it :) I started on a 144, it was terrific!
@@Gezira rarely heard of those that's rad
I have the same issue. I keep buying cheap gear to fix up and then move on to the next deal. Just bought a "broken" Portastudio 424 (needs a capstan belt most likely) and a Casio SK-1. I Still sorta have to fix 2 tape-machines that are working and now just being decoration. GAS is a serious problem.
i hear you big time!
Wow. You have beautiful equipment.
We recorded all of our material on a YAMAHA MD-8 (same machine 1999-2022!)
very cool! mini disc?
The MT44 had some PUNCH! I totally preferred that one.
yeah that one was my favorite by far! it was interesting to hear how different the straight to digital drums sound vs the tape drums. tape really changes the sound of drums more than it does guitars
“Broken drumset” 😂 really loving these videos man!
thanks Nathan. how did you find me?
@@travisraab Doing research on repairs for reel to reels, I’ve got an old machine that I want to get up and running and a few of your vids came up.
However, I stayed for the great musicianship and insights.
@@hannanathan564 very cool thanks for being here
I like the Yamaha MT 44 . I have a Yamaha MT 120 and a Tascam 424 , 414 , Porta 02 and Foxtex X12 . 388 are hard to come by nowadays . If you do find one it's in need of repair and it's usually a repair that will cost a lot to fix . I do have 2 Teac reel to reel 4 tracks . 3340 S and 3440 . I just have to get off my lazy ass and record :(
which is your favorite out of all those machines? I managed to repair my 388 but it was a gamble th-cam.com/video/fz9AwJC0YDc/w-d-xo.html
388 sounded awesome overall. But they all sounded good in their own right. But 388 as a hip hop old school head has that vibe I like on the kick and snare. Warm chunky and punchy.
Try recording the kick from the other side. Simply put the mic next to the beater at the edge of the bass drum. Gave me good dry results every time. Together with a kick out mic it should sound punchy yet soft. That way you negate the resonance of the bass drum itself.
In the last year I 've been dabbling with recording guitar and bass using logic with the logic drummer. And at first it was very frustrating trying to make it sound "good " or what I heard in my head, and after months of watching TH-cam videos on recording tricks and tips and still no luck . The other day I opened up some recording from a year ago and was blown away at how good it sounded !! I didn't even remember recording it . I guess what I'm trying to say is I've learned to not get all caught up in the moment with adjusting little things, just plug in an play . Now I record with out a care and it's so much more fun and I can work more on bettering my performance of the instrument.
Garbage in... Garbage out!
I hear you. I think that's awesome Gordon! You've learned to get over the obsessive sonic analysis and make music. So maybe there's hope for me haha😂 #garbageingarbageout✌️✌️🙌
Mike from @BrothersNylon often uses just a kick and snare mic on their recordings and it sounds just fine.
Mark Williams! @BrothersNylon are absolute masters I love their stuff
@@travisraab I concur :D
Hi, very cool sound! Did you go straight into the 424? Or used anything im between? I have a 424 mk1 and would like to recreate a similar sound.
Thanks ! Yeah it was just 3 mics and cables straight into the 424. I think you could achieve this sound easily!
I lke the 424...definately getting one
I was in a punk band in the 90s we did all our 7" releases on a Tascam Mark II.
I currently have a Mark II and III for recording and am having issues with the Mark III do you do repairs?
The 3rd channel switch is have problems and the RCA jack in back?
How to Fix your Broken Portastudio: th-cam.com/video/q36mpK5QrVI/w-d-xo.html
The M30-MT44 sounds great. 388 in second place.
That combo is killer!!
I grew up in the 80s. The basic 4 and 8 track recorders were way cool. It was that or a pro studio.
Great video...third one of yours I've watched now. I'm going through a similar, albeit digital, journey of home recording so it's great to see what you are doing. How many mics were you using for these takes? I see two 57s and an LDC placed behind the hats...I assume you are micing the bass drum since you made a comment about forgoing the reso head?
P.S. Is that an MXL 990?
Hi Mountain man thanks for watching. For this video I believe i used a three mic setup. Kick snare and floor tom. Yep that's an mxl and no it wasn't turned on. But I used that mic on another video. I think it was on my second to last video if you want to hear it.
@@travisraab I'll take a listen to your second-to-last video...I used to have an MXL 990 years ago so was happy to see it!
I like the way your hats sit lower in the levels...I'm assuming that's probably because they are being picked up off-axis from your snare 57? I'm gonna try that...
What mic are you using on your kick drum?
Thanks!
@@hanktothehendrix yeah let me know what you think. No I think I just prefer the hi hat lower it would cut through anyhow cause its damn close to the 57 over there. I think im using the shure beta 52a on the kic!
The difference is in the cymbals. It's okay if you're playing funky or mellow beats on a cassette machine, but once drums get heavy/trashy cassettes are just too harsh. I started used a Tascam 34B after more than a decade of recording drums on cassette four tracks and nearly wept when I heard how much better heavy drums instantly sounded.
love it , joe!
Sounds Interesting. What Camera are you using to film ll of this?
a 10 year $250 camera. lumix gh3. why?
@@travisraab ...ohh...i am just always interested in the photo gear used also nowadays. Does it have a Microphone Input? Everything sounds Good... And the Camera also can Make a difference. Ive been told that is is kind of hard to find an older camera with Microphone inputs...so I just wondered if Yours did and What kind it was. You sure get some Dam good deals. I paid 450 Dollars for my Tascam 424 Mk.III. So you sure beat me on that...all except mine is a Mk.III. Love seeing your stuff.
@@cliffordpearsonjr.9748 sounds like you got yourself i nice machine there congratulations. Yes the gh3 has mic input but preamps only sound good on certain microphones sadly. And the autofocus sucks
@@travisraab well...it did a good job on your video.
@@cliffordpearsonjr.9748 Thanks Clifford
hahaha "it's getting disgustingly nerdy in here" got me laughing
How do you get tapes for the 388? Do you even need to change the tapes to run pre-recorded tracks through it or does it have a playback head? I the 424 Pitch control center detent?
So many questions....
they still make 1/4 inch tape
@@travisraab Thanks! I take it the knob isn't center detent
@@SeemoreDunkan the 424 has a center indent.
@@travisraab Thanks!!
I have a mint condition 424 in the original packaging in storage at my moms house. Thinking about having her send it to me now.
that is so cool! i wonder what that will be worth in 20 years
Can you line the waveforms up a non-taped and taped track and do parallel saturation without hitting major phase issues? I.E. 60/40 tape/DAW type deal?
Unless there's some plugin that like bends the waveforms, there would be phase. I think you could achieve that with a plugin. Personally I've never enjoyed blending wet and dry signals unless it was reverb or delay
I had a portastudio with the sweepable eq's. What was that? A different version of the 424?
Tascam 424 mkii
What was the best multitrack cassette machine?
Which is your favorite
Travis don't you have the compare between 388 and 246? I looked at them and found eq same.do they sounds same??
don't which two sound the same?
@@travisraab Tascam 388 and 246 I mean eq wise.What about the tape side.I don't know.Maybe you..
@@buddhiaudioparadise6925 you are asking if the tape of the 246 sounds the same as the tape on the 388? The 388 has way more low end and with eq you can bring out even more. It prob also has more high end and lower noise. Both are noisy though
@@travisraab No.I mean EQued line out. I would like to listen them both with tape and without(using line outs without master buss).I love your kick sounded on 388 on tape.Can I achieve the kind of same sounds using 246?? thank you lot for the amazing content!
@@buddhiaudioparadise6925 yes you can achieve that sound on the 246. Make sure the kick isn't clipping on record or playback and then add some super low end.
There are plugins that cost more than these units. This is budget outboard gear and it's AWESOME!
Totally agree, Charles! plus the plugins cant be resold and cant appreciate
388 is the king of portstudios. I owned a 388 for years. No portastudio from the era can touch it. Best preamps, best EQ, best routing.
388 is just a big portastudio Jim! Yeah it does sound real nice and just has a nice tangible workflow. Also, I can't deal with 4 tracks, I need a minimum of 5!
You should bypass the preamps by using a quality stand alone preamp. The way to do this is switch to line input. Or you can experiment by using 50% of the cassetts pre's.
I did :)
@@travisraab okay. Good. I missed that part of the video.
How the f do you have time for all this great content? I mean A LOT of effort and time must go into just editing and producing an awesome video. Not to mention all the driving around obscure towns to acquire analog goodies from craigslist.I love the fact that you say you have come full circle regarding guitar tone, like you say in the end. It's whatever. There is no tone :D
There is no tone! Haha. Thanks Cato that's nice of you to say. Well I was going to entertain my addiction anyways 😂
@@travisraab The problem is now for me - as I maybe sense from you, correct me if I'm wrong - Now the hunt goes for the best and beefiest sound on analog useless junk... Somehow we're never quite satisfied.
Cheap 🍖 beef analog goodness's. The search never ends
Unfair. Unscientific. Subscribed.
😅thanks Sam!
Soundgarden is the best 🔥. And it’s the 424 ftw!
👍👍👍🙏🙏🥳🥳🥳🐬
Only have phone speaker(shitty android). They both sounded like reel to reel.the 388 sounded safer. 424s tastier. Unless the 424 low end is terrible I think competes.
Also I'm going thru shitty kick drum syndrome too. The flop sound comes thru the phone. I need a Kik made from your vintage barn wall. Hoping resonant head will help mine
I just tried out another of my old heads again . Still not happy. Starting to think this drum is beyond salvation. Yeah the 424 is solid !
Awesome!
Thank you Reve! Cheers!
MT44 by far has the coolest sound. Beef content is so-lid
Subbed in hopes of analog turkey shootout
We must! That would be great. Big fan of yours long time subber 🙂
@@travisraab unfortunately we have a deficit of wild turkey in the Scottish Highlands, so I can't help... sadness many. I could try to mic up an osprey if you like? 🦃⛔🎤🦅❔
😂😂
M30 into the 44 is the Best !
Final answer?
@@travisraab YUP
@@jamtheradio I love it
I’d fly to USA for those deals... back in time for tea at Buckingham Palace
yeah haha
well yeah if your desired end result is drums that sound like cardboard boxes, the signal chain doesn't play much of a role as it turns out. if you want to hear how those various input sources actually sound, consider not choking the shit out of every head. put some single ply heads on, tune them properly, and then maybe you'll hear how the different front ends sound. as it stands , i'm fairly certain any 1980s Radio Shack cassette player can make a snare drum go "thmmp" and die immediately
my drums sound awesome lol
Love the end of this. "None of it matters". I'm in my 50's. I have a pre-cbs strat (wanna' buy it? Hit me up!) Got a Mexican Tele for 700 bucks. I kinda' love it more. Got a Matchless amp. Tried to mic the strat to it with a 58 into Logic. Sounded like crap. Switched to the mex/tele into garageband a plugin called Klevgrand Stark. (A bit digital sound-y but not as harsh as the garagband amps which sound like buzz saws). But back to back? The $10,000 strat through the $2500 amp didn't sound as good as the $700 mex/tele though a $29 indie plugin. Go figure! (Maybe I'm just a bad engineer. Ha!)
i know it! crazy how that happens. would love to have a matchless though
Looks like CT maybe…but definitely New England.
Not Michigan??
@@travisraab Really? Never been out that way. Had no idea how much it looked like my neighborhood. lol
@@GeoffBosco no I'm in new England lol I just thought upper Midwest looked the same
@@travisraab 🤣🤣 Well played!
388 with eq sounds dope. Very full sound and punchy snare. 424 was thinner. Not that much punch.
Tascam m30 + mt44 sounded good as a "fat lo-fi", but kick was too farty as for me.
But any of those 3 setups sounded better and fatter than straight to daw signal. Nice mids and softer transient.
I want to hear a "scientific" comparison!
I think I pushed the kick too far on the M30 that was my fault..in a mix it doesn't sound bad though. I agree any of the tape machines definitely saturate and fatten the drums!
here you go man! th-cam.com/video/KLJbqWPn7PU/w-d-xo.html
@@travisraab Thank you!
I've already seen it yesterday. But I didn't have my headphones and couldn't hear everything clearly. So I will watch again and leave a comment later)
@@DenysZhuravel 🥳 cool i thought you would want to to see it!
Han-D-Mag is a great demagnetizer if you want something you can use for the 388. Nice video 👍
Thanks for the tip! I wonder if it can be used for all of these machines? I'm not totally positive that the 388 needs de magnitizing but I guess it couldn't hurt.
@@travisraab It can be used for the other machines, just make sure they are off and don't have your tapes nearby or they will get erased. I noticed a difference in my 388 for sure after doing it. Most of the other demag devices are these small things that you mostly have to find used and don't work that well. I've never seen the demag tapes but those look interesting.
Tascam with tape 👽
388?
@@travisraab yep more round👽
Interesting video 👍 I started back in 95 with the exact version of 424 you purchased here. Recorded 'em single-channel mono... fattest sound I ever got from a deck. For anyone intested, here's an example th-cam.com/video/oWHWVGqj5OU/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Broken drum sets and turkeys... what could go wrong?!
exactluy, Eugene!
0:20 😂
👍👍
You're like a kid in a candy store!
sample your drums on tape and share, please
I have a sample pack! You can get it here. Tape Recording Tactics: tinyurl.com/3u7nysmp
424 for $100.. whaaaat
not sure what alternate reality, bizzaro world you live in where cheap tascams are found on craigslist...
k
“Maybe if you want to sound like Dave Grohl” WTF you make is sound like that is a bad thing. Dave Grohl is amazing
I love Dave grohl. I bought these when I was 18 because I heard he used this kit. But they seem to be a one trick pony. 🐎
Take a breath.